Unit 4: Empowering Bystanders Against Anti-Black Racism
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
– Maya Angelou
This unit explores bystander behaviour and introduces the concept of empowered bystanders and the utility of bystander action against anti-Black racism. This unit is designed to be interactive and engage students in skill-building exercises.
Topics to be explored
- The importance of a bystander
- The empowered bystander
- Implicit bias and microaggressions
- Intervening effectively to disrupt anti-Black racism
- The concept of community responsibility
- The importance of skill-building for effective intervention
- The importance of role modelling
Unit 4: Learning Outcomes
At the end of this unit, learners will be able to:
- Identify what overt and covert instances of anti-Black racism look like
- Recognize why they should intervene
- Demonstrate an understanding of what bystander responsibility is through the workshopping of scenarios
- Illustrate what constitutes effective bystander action from the perspective of the target
- Evaluate the different strategies of intervention
- Apply the knowledge and skills required for effective intervention